For more than a decade, 1,400 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel have sat on our coastline at the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The plant closed in 2013, but the waste has remained — with no national repository, no federal plan, and no progress from Washington. Temporary storage has quietly become permanent by default.
Today, the Board of Supervisors took an important step to change that.
I brought forward an initiative that will allow San Diego County to pursue partnerships with national laboratories — including Idaho National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory — to relocate the spent fuel off-site and advance research into reprocessing technologies that reduce waste and could one day convert it into a valuable energy asset. This is the most proactive action our region has taken on this issue in years, and it finally moves us from waiting to doing.
Californians pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and when energy is expensive, everything is expensive — food, housing, transportation, and everyday goods. If reprocessing can help lower long-term energy costs for families, that’s a solution worth pursuing.
Across the country, experts talk about a new era of nuclear innovation. San Diego should be part of that future — not simply the place where 1,400 metric tons of unused fuel sit indefinitely. Today’s vote directs County staff to bring back partnership and policy options within 90 days, ensuring we continue moving forward.
This is about safety, innovation, and affordability. It’s time to turn a long-standing challenge into a real opportunity for our region.